Collapse of JW Org - Possibly on the Horizon? (page 5)

road to nowhere

I can't see a big remaking. More like continued coercion and flogging

Wait to see what comes when "we" have to put on our necktie and drive to meeting, maybe on ice over half on zoom have no picture and you do see snacks being chewed and beverages

hybridous

I wonder if the global COVID situation might have sped things along for the Tower...

Once (if?...) various governments give the 'All Clear' signal to resume regular gathering/worship, how many JWs are ready to climb back into that hamster wheel?

This pandemic handed regular JWs relief from their religious burdens in a way that nothing else could. The average JW has been able to take a legitimized break from their religious duties (to some extent) while not having their standing in the congregation threatened. It's really been a one-of-kind opportunity to catch your breath and relax a bit.

I can't help but imagine that a significant number of JWs will be less-than-inclined to hit the ground running, whenever this COVID situation resolves. They may miss associations, but I think that many will have experienced a WT-sized gap in their lives...and it wasn't hard to fill.

road to nowhere

The hamstercwheel is running. Half hour group text on zoom every day, with "encouragement" if you miss, and an hour or more Saturday. The meetings are still timed like the hall was shared so some of us are stuck with 3 or 4 o'clock meetings

Pete Zahut

Large institutions that came into existence back when the Watchtower did and who seemed unshakable, have been disappearing one by one.

Sears and Macys for example as well huge newspaper and magazine establishments that seemed unshakable have either gone away or are about to. Soon there will be very few libraries because you'll be able to download any book you want at any hour of the day. Large universities will become more and more rare as students will be attaining higher education virtually. The only reason these places will exist is simply because people want to be together.

In my area, in the 3 mile stretch between my house and the Kingdom Hall there are about 7 large churches. Most of them are adding on or remodeling. Besides Sunday and weekly services where the parking lots are full, they offer education programs, sports and music activities and social services for their membersWhat JW's value the most about their religion is the association and that is all but gone these days. Instead of playing up the association aspect and providing a bigger sense of community for the JW's, the folks at Watchtower have always discouraged it and have only allowed association to take place on their own terms. They have always been afraid of what might happen if their members got organized without them.

With the changes that the internet and technology has made in the world, the information the control the Watchtower once had over their followers is dwindling. They need to provide a bigger sense of community if they hope to survive. Attending stale repetitive meetings just isn't enough for people anymore and trudging around from door to door to spread a supposedly urgent message, is making less and less sense, to more and more people.

Magnum

I agree thoroughly, Pete Zahut.

Off the subject, but, Pete Zahut, you're back!!! I swear I was depressed because I thought you had left for good. I know you got pissed off, and I am truly sorry for any part I might have played in that. Really glad you're back. Please don't leave. I have always really appreciated your input.

LV101

Vidiot: The flaw in that argument, however, is that - in my opinion - it's predicated on the assumption that that there will always be people that specifically need the WT cult...

...and I don't think that's actually the case.

Hopefully, NO ONE will need the WT at some point. I've heard a few JWs chatter lately how they miss real contact w/their JW friends and phone/text chatting isn't as meaninful - understandable as other religions/social groups experience same.

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Drearyweather

Two things that will never happen:

1. The end of the world, as predicted by the WT

2. The end of the WT, as predicted by Ex-Jw's

EdenOne

I agree that there will be a very gradual descent into almost nothingness.

See what happened with the original russelites - the Bible Students movement. After more than one century past the 1914/15 Russel prophecy debacle and the death of its founder, and no "new light" (that I know of) has been published since 1916, there are still splinter groups that separated from the Watchtower that are still active. It's reduced to almost nothing, but they have somehow survived. They are true believers.

The Watchtower / JW.org will carry on existing, maybe will go through a few metamorphoses. It won't crash and burn. It will just fade, slowly, with a couple of spikes here and there, as they stirr the scarecrow of 'imminent Armageddon', but it will surely fade into utter irrelevance, probably outliving every single one of us here in this forum. In the meantime, it will suffer cuts and blows, financial loss, opposition, loss of credibility, scandals, maybe even a secession or two, etc, but it will carry on, each time downsizing and poorer. I am certain that the COVID-19 crisis will speed up (and be the excuse to justify) some dramatic downsizing moves that we will see soon. But the true believers, ah, those will keep on believing.

And I guess that's the best we can expect about it.

DesirousOfChange

I agree that there will be a very gradual descent into almost nothingness. ~ Eden

Eden, I think you are indeed a prophet, because the fact of the matter is that WT/JW's are already at the point of "nothingness" to everyone except active JW's and Ex-JW's. No one else gives a shit about them. Especially now that they aren't waking people up early on Sat & Sun mornings.

stan livedeath

I doubt if anyone under 40 knows anything about the jw cult. Most of that age and under have no interest in any religion.

Collapse of JW Org - Possibly on the Horizon?

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